Rest in Peace, back tire

Today is absolutely glorious outside.  65 degrees with a sun so sunny it makes Sunny D look downright cloudy.  On my way home, a song in my heart, I excitedly anticipated the ride I'd take.  Would I go south?  North?  Northwest?  The world seemed my oyster, my only limits, my legs.  I even have a brand new jersey, shorts, and gloves to bust out for the occasion.

I got home, put on my new kit and grabbed my pump to add some air to my tires.  I uncapped the rear valve, when HOLY SHIT.  The valvey bits of the valve are snapped right off!  How did I not notice this before?!  Well, nothing that can't be fixed with a bit of elbow grease, am I right?

After wrastlin' with it for some time (yay for Pedro's Tire levers), we finally ripped that puppy off.  Then began the depressing reality of inspecting the tire.  Bits were coming off the sidewalls and wire bead.  The reflective tape on the sides pretty much came off by looking at it. I had to accept it.  Years of riding through rain, dragging me and all my stuff around, being parked outside friends' apartments in the rain, and running over potholes had taken its toll and killed my tire.  So much for my bike ride this afternoon.

So now I'm in the market for a pair of tires - my front one has seen better days and it'd be nice for them to match anyways.  And my poor bike is sitting in the kitchen without one of its shoes on.  So, better start shopping!

Footloose!

Le Moustache et l'angle

I've noticed some dispute online over how to angle Northroad and Moustache bars and I'm beginning to understand why.  From what I understand, some people angle the ends down, and some people install them parallel to the ground.  On my Surly I'm starting to notice some wrist and hand pain that has developed from the fact my handlebars are currently set parallel to the ground - it's a pretty non-neutral wrist position when I'm on the bike.

My current hand position.  Note the bend.

Neutral wrist angle, "shaking hands".  I'd be more bent over while riding but I had to hold the windowsill to show this.

I got new Brooks bartape for Christmas, which I'll be adding soon and while I'm sorting out some details there, I'm pondering the appropriate angle for my handlebars.  I could really use some input on this from others who have used a similar handlebar setup.

Fenders, Fixed!

A while back you may recall my whinging regarding the noisy-ass rattle produced by my fenders.  I emailed Velo Orange customer service, who replied that I was in fact missing an entire part, called a "cup washer" - specifically designed to prevent my very problem.  It was arranged for them to send me a pair, which I received longer ago than I care to admit.

Today I dragged the workstand into the kitchen, put my bike up in it, and got to work straightening out my rattle issue.  In the process I realized the poor thing hadn't been cleaned since Obama's first term, and gave it a wash.

Ready for surgery, doctor.

This is the rear fender before disassembly,
 external view.

The bolt that holds on the fender.  This is the front fender, but the assembly is identical on both ends.

After re-assembling the fender, here it is with the cup washer installed (front fender).

All put back together and cleaned up!

I took the bike for a test ride around my neighborhood, and deliberately rode it over gravel, a few pot holes, speed bumps, and washboard bits of pavement.  It's totally silent!  In fact, after years of the rattle in the background, it was almost creepy.  I felt like a ninja on wheels.

So, my fenders are now fixed, and I look forward to many more years of service from them.

The Long Haul Trucker takes on Walnut Creek

As part of my very half-assed (or more, time got away from me) efforts at the LGRAB Summer Games, today I went to pedal around Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park, a green area I've never been to. Walnut Creek is known among dog owners and mountain bikers for being a haven in North Austin, and now that I've been, I can't believe I hadn't been before.

I had some errands to run beforehand which put me in at the northern entrance to the park (a map is available here, but be aware that it does not have the trails labeled as they are named on the park signage). Unfortunately, most of my pictures somehow got corrupted, but I have a few that came out!


Hooray! I found it!

There is a road that runs through the center of the park, by a couple baseball fields and a public swimming pool (which I am totally taking advantage of soon). The trail meets about ten feet back from the main parking lot, and I hopped on it and headed left, because it seemed as good a direction as any to go.


The road into the park. The next like, 4 pictures I took got corrupted, which sucks because they were all of the trails.

I hopped onto the trail on the TARDIS because despite what other people think, I'm not going to let my lack of an actual mountain bike keep me off the trails. For god's sake, when I started hiking I routinely wore flip-flops out of pure and simple "Don't know no better." There is a main trail that encircles Walnut Creek that is only marginally less smooth than a fire road, meaning the Surly is more than capable of tackling them. Whether or not I am is another question entirely!

Not to be a walking advertisement for Surly or anything, but it blew my mind that despite the fact I was riding a road-touring bike with street tires on it, my bike really didn't handle any differently despite the surface. It's an incredibly stable bike and it's fun to ride even off road. So, way to go Surly.


A rare species is sighted! A bike with fenders, a rack, and a kickstand in the wild!

I didn't ride very far, I admit, mostly out of insecurity, but also out of the fact that (as usual at this time of year), I was getting the beginnings of heat exhaustion. And, as is often the case with the wrong tool for the job, every time the trail got technical (I got lost down at least one side-trail), I opted to hop off the bike and walk it. I think with practice, to be honest, most of the sections I walked are perfectly doable on the Trucker, but I also admit that there are far more ideal bikes for the task. If anyone has any spare cash sitting around, the Santa Cruz Juliana is a pretty good tool for the job.

I eventually got to the point where I was getting a bit concerned about my ability to press on, as I could feel my head getting lighter and my heart beating faster (for those who live in cooler climates, this is a sign you need to cool off NOW). I asked a very kind fellow on a super-sporty Trek and he gave me directions back to the parking lot. Once there, a very nice lifeguard let me hose myself off and fill up my water bottle afresh, which improved my morale quite a bit for the ride back up the hill back to the house. I unlocked the TARDIS, swung us back onto the pavement where we usually play, and headed home.